email: earlypieces@aol.com
phone: 585-385-9002
Outstanding
Paint Decorated Box
....sale pending
“Christmas-like”
Color Palette
New England, ca. 1830. Original paint on what appears to be basswood.
With unusually ambitious paint decoration, the exterior is covered on all sides (except the red-painted back) with rhythmic three and four leaf clover-like designs, and clusters of bittersweet and black dots, many retaining a subtly raised, jewel-like quality. The elaborate and time-intensive decoration suggests a piece intended for a discriminating buyer or as a special gift.
Well preserved and entirely original, including the hinges, hasp, and decorative brass keyhole cover. Never fitted for a lock. The painted surface shows expected abrasions and wear from nearly two centuries of use. The interior is clean apart from an old ink-spill on the bottom, an appealing record of its history.
The box is very well made, with dovetailed joinery, hand-planed domed top; medium size for this form of about 24 inches long x 12 deep x 11 high. Its structural condition is excellent, and without cracks.
A fine addition to a collection of early paint, this piece from American history would also make an especially memorable and useful Christmas gift. It is not too early to acquire and put aside something so special and distinctive for that purpose.
E. H. BASCOM PAINTER
Small, Early, Choice
Trade Sign
.....sale pending
American, probably Pennsylvania to New England, possibly mid-Atlantic, ca. 1840–1850.
Original patinated, very dry, black and warm ochre paints on a dense pine board.
BASCOM is rendered in a bold font, with PAINTER in a contrasting ornamental font with distinctive decorative flourishes. The use of the two sophisticated fonts allows the sign to not only advertise his services, yet also as a demonstration of his skill. Also note the comma and period, punctuation often seen on early signs.
The lettering is enclosed by a simple yet graphic painted border: quarter rounds fill the corners, pendant triangles the upper edge, and a continuous line with semicircular drops extends across the bottom. The restrained palette of black against a warm ochre ground gives the sign notable visual strength, while the dry, worn, and richly patinated surface preserves the character of prolonged use and exposure.
The board is rough hewn and not fully rectangular, an appealing folky quality.
About 29 5/8 inches long.
Silhouette
Handsome Little Boy
Green Painted Frame
.....SOLD
New England, ca. 1810-1830.
Silhouettes or children, especially young ones, are much less common than that of adults.
This little boy, whose name appears to be “Daniel”, perhaps of 2 or 3 years old, is expertly hollow-cut in paper with a black-cloth backing by an accomplished silhouette artist.
Particularly engaging is the crisply cut, sawtooth-like edging at the neck and shoulders, suggesting a ruffled collar. Also note his chubby baby double-chin. The artist is unidentified, yet research of the shape of the boy and his collar, combined with the inscriptions on the paper, may yield an attribution.
The silhouette is presented in a terrific vernacular, likely original pine frame, retaining a dry, rich green-painted surface. Wooden-pegged mortice and tenon joinery, chamfered edges, wooden backboard, and untouched character provide an unusually strong setting for this intimate portrait of childhood.
Silhouettes were a means, pre-photography, to capture and share memories of family and friends over distance and over time.
Frame size about 5 ½ inches x 4 7/8. From a private New York State collection. .
Early Carved
and Dated
Soapstone Inkwell
.....SOLD
Probably New England, ca. 1785.
Soapstone, with a square-molded base topped by a spiral-fluted dome surrounding the ink reservoir. The date 1785, likely indicating the year of its making, is engraved on one side; later dates “1861” and “1870” appear also. These inscriptions document a history of use approaching a century from just after the Revolution to post Civil War.
The cork stopper is of good age. The inkwell is surprisingly weighty in-hand given its diminutive size of 2 x 2 1/8 inches at the base x 1 5/8 inches height.
Provenance: New York State collection.
SURFACE!
Superior Painted Trencher
.....SOLD
Northeast, ca. 18th century, very possibly early in the century.
Ancient bone-dry crackly paint history of bittersweet, black, and gray on what appears to be maple. Remarkable surface.
A true "trencher” (deeper, and with a broader rim, than a much more common flat plate).
Crisply delineated raised foot with burnished wear from rubbing on tables. Very slow lathe turning marks. This is how an authentic very early woodenware piece should read. A standout find.
About 7 7/8 inches diameter by a notable 1 3/8 deep.
A difficult choice whether to display the front or the back.
Outstanding
Fish Weathervane
Likely J. W. Fiske Company, New York City, ca. 1870.
Form. Surface. Size.
Copper, with a complex weathered surface that has taken on a beautiful verdigris color while retaining a good amount of gilding and sizing.
As weathervanes were of critical importance for centuries to foretell changes in weather, they also become an important American sculptural art form. The best examples, like this scarce full-bodied fish, have appealing sculptural design AND retain an authentic surface that reflects the environmental conditions that led to the aesthetic. Note the balance of top and bottom fins, the graceful flowing lines of the body into the flared and corrugated tail, the repousse eyes, and that dramatic mouth, rimmed with copper molding, that is downswept against the flat bottom jaw. The presence is strong and confident.
About 31 1/2 inches long x 13 tall (including stand) x 5 deep. Excellent condition with a small seam-opening, a few filled or open bullet holes, and minor imperfections.
See: The Art of the Weathervane, Steve Miller, page 79 for a similar example.
Vibrant Small
Paint Decorated
Pantry Box
Northeast, Pennsylvania to New England, ca. 1820-1850.
Round, thick walled, appears to be ash and poplar, with original rich forest green paint decorated by a central pinwheel/sunburst radiating outward, encircled by the rhythmic movement of two rows of alternating bittersweet and dark red-brown sawtooth patterns. The slightly irregular spacing and brushwork give the design an unmistakably handmade, folk-art vitality. The lid shows nice hand-planed tool marks.
Clenched cut-nail joinery. Appealing size of just 4 ¾ inch diameter x 2 5/8 tall. Structurally superb condition, retaining an undisturbed surface with scattered abrasions..
Exuberant
Folk Art Painting
America, ca. 1840–1860.
Oil on canvas
Strong and unusual American folk art still life from the period of American Fancy. The composition centers on a floating arrangement of fruit, including a prominent pineapple, a symbol of luxury and hospitality. A bird in flight and highly stylized branchwork add movement and visual interest. The branches take on a suggestive, almost zoomorphic character. Bold color and a confident, folk-painted surface throughout.
American Fancy was a cultural, decorative, and artistic movement that celebrated imaginative, colorful, and bold design, reflecting the youthful optimism of the new nation. It marked a shift away from restrained neoclassical styles toward artistic exuberance, delighting in whim, surprise, and sensory experience, and was driven by the era's fascination with imagination.
Relined with new stretcher. Scattered inpainting. Housed in a very good period ripple frame. Frame size approximately 27 ½ x 21 ¼ inches. Signed lower right “C.F. Miller”.
Purchased September 15, 1979, from Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, lot 30.
Important provenance available upon request. .
Rare Firkin
POW’D SUGAR
.....SOLD
Northeast, ca. mid 19th century.
This very dry white-painted firkin is elevated considerably in appeal and rarity by the painted POW’D SUGAR label. Look closely to see that the hyphen is positioned below the letter D, and a period is placed after the letter R, the post-word period is often seen in earlier 19th century trades signs and labeled boxes.
Cooper made with staved construction, bands held by copper nails. This is the first powdered sugar labeled box or firkin I have seen in person or in reference.
The firkin presents as a lovely soft and quiet piece, very appealing alone, yet the label adds considerably to the interest and aesthetics.
About 11 ¼ inches tall. Very good condition with period paint wear and an ancient loss to one of the bands on the bottom back.
Provenance includes Jan Whitlock, and a superb private Northeast collection.